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Best Back To School Books For The Off To College Crowd

July 29, 2014 5:00 AM

College is a monumental time in a young person’s life. While they might be looking forward to dorm life, parties, and their impending independence, the true excitement is the intellectual vivacity that they will encounter on campus. Whether your college student is studying NADPH reactions or Nietzsche, our sister company Simon & Schuster has a book that will them thinking about their impact on the world, their future success, and the enriching value of what they’re learning behind university gates.

Writing is one of the most important skills learned in college; the ability to express oneself eloquently is invaluable. In The True Secret of Writing, Natalie Goldberg explains that writing is not merely a utilitarian exercise, but that it can be used to increase self-understanding and help us make connections in the world throughout our lives.

The canon of war literature is expansive, and the chances that your budding freshman will be assigned the works of Hemingway, Vonnegut, or O’Brien are high. But a growing number of women are now seeing active duty oversees, and women have a uniquely different military experience than men. This groundbreaking book follows three women over twelve years, from their deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq to their journeys home. By expanding the perspective, this vital account deepens our understanding of war on the human experience.

Newly minted college students will encounter numerous tips and tricks for success throughout their college career, but none as simple and profound as this. CEO Bill Donius drove his bank’s eightfold growth over twelve years and the surprising secret to his success is right in our own two hands—simply moving your pen from one hand to the other. Thought Revolution shows how the non-dominant hand can channel the right brain’s wisdom—opening you up to new and creative solutions. Whether they’re right-handed or left-handed, your teen will find that a whole world of change is possible.

Every young person leaves home for the first time wanting to make a difference. Katie Davis actually did. Inspired by the tenacity of the people she met in Uganda during a previous trip, Katie chose to forsake college and the comforts of home in order to address the great need she witnessed there. At 18, she moved to Uganda and established Amazima Ministries, an organization that provides orphaned children with schooling, meals, and medical care. This riveting account emphasizes that one person really can change the world.